Sarina Beach, QLD: Swimming safety, turtles & accommodation

Marine stingers and crocodiles are dangers at Sarina Beach in Queensland, meaning it’s never entirely safe for swimming. Lifeguard patrols minimise the risk, however.

Sarina Beach, Queensland, is a short drive from the sugar town of Sarina, which is best visited for its fascinating sugar industry tours.

You’ll go past Sarina on the Rockhampton to Mackay leg of the east coast drive from Brisbane to Cairns.

As with nearby Grasstree Beach, Sarina Beach is undoubtedly pretty. It’s one of the most attractive beaches in the Mackay area.

Sarina Beach in Sarina, QLD. Photo courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland/ Brooke Miles.

Sarina Beach accommodation and restaurant

There are also a few decent accommodation options at Sarina Beach, including the Sandpiper Motel, Turtles Nest and the Sarina Beach Motel. This Sarina Beach accommodation makes it a plausible place to stay for a couple of days on a coastal road trip. The Palms restaurant, part of the Sarina Beach Motel, is a decent place to eat, as well.

But what about the beach itself? Well, it’s certainly pretty enough, with golden sand and usually calm waters. There’s an esplanade park with picnic areas, barbecue facilities and a children’s playground behind Sarina Beach. It’s also a popular spot for fishing, and the smart move is to look for edible shellfish in the rock pools at the northern end of the beach.

Sarina Beach turtle nesting

Sarina Beach is patrolled by members of the surf-lifesaving club during the dry season. For the main attraction at Sarina Beach, however, you need to come in the wet season.

The beach is an important turtle nesting site, and these turtles hatch between October and March. Get lucky, and you’ll see dozens of tiny turtles scurrying across the sand.

Swimming at Sarina Beach, QLD

Swimming safety at Sarina Beach, though, is a matter of personal risk assessment. Marine stingers – aka potentially fatal box jellyfish – like the calm waters around Sarina Beach. There are far fewer of them during the dry season, but it’s never totally safe to go swimming.

As for the rather bigger threats – saltwater crocodiles – Sarina Beach is not a hotspot for them. But they have been spotted here, and the beach generally gets closed when one is seen in the area.

Top Sarina experiences worth booking in advance

Learn how sugar is grown and processed on a sugar mill tour – with sweet treat tastings.
Find out how rum is made on a rum distillery tour – with rum sampling.